All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 642
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NewsTesting starts on LGV Est Phase 2
FRANCE: National operator SNCF has started test running on the second phase of LGV Est Européan. An instrumented EuroDuplex TGV decked out in a commemorative livery began running over the new section of the route on the morning of September 28. Running for 106 km between the end of Phase ...
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NewsThales to update Gautrain ticketing
SOUTH AFRICA: Gautrain concessionaire Bombela has awarded Thales a contract to upgrade the Johannesburg – Pretoria line’s fare collection system to offer a wider range of ticketing options. The current system was installed by Thales in 2010 for the FIFA World Cup. As well as the current Gold Card smart ...
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NewsKyiv to test Pesa Foxtrot tram
UKRAINE: Kyiv is to take delivery of a Pesa Foxtrot tram at the start of October for three months of testing. This follows the signing in June of a memorandum by Pesa and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko for the supply of trams and the possible opening of a factory ...
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NewsEtihad Rail to start commercial operations shortly
UAE: Regulatory approval for the start of full commercial freight operations on Phase 1 of the national rail network is expected ‘shortly’, developer Etihad Rail announced on September 28. The 1 200 km network is being built in three phases. Construction of the 264 km Phase 1 between Shah, ...
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NewsUK Railcards to be available as mobile apps
UK: The Association of Train Operating Companies has invited tenders for a contract to develop a mobile phone app which can store the range of Railcards which offer discounts on National Rail passenger services. ATOC said it aims to introduce the app in April 2016, making applying for and ...
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NewsNingbo opens second metro line
CHINA: Ningbo Rail Transit Line 2 opened for trial operation on September 26. The first phase is 28·4 km long with 18 underground and four elevated stations. Starting at Lishe International Airport in the southwest, the route runs northeast to the long-distance coach terminal, Ningbo Railway Station and Gulou, ...
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NewsSBB Cargo and DB Schenker extend trans-Alpine contract
SWITZERLAND: An extension of SBB Cargo’s contract to haul Germany – Italy trans-Alpine transit freight trains on behalf of DB Schenker was signed by representatives of the two companies inside the Gotthard base tunnel on September 25. DB switched its Gotthard transit contract from BLS to SBB in December 2013. ...
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NewsTilting E353 to serve Chuo Main Line
JAPAN: A pre-series Series E353 tilting EMU to operate Azusa limited express services on the eastern portion of the 1 067 mm gauge Chuo Main Line between Tokyo and Nagano has been unveiled by East Japan Railway. The Series E353 sets are being built by the railway’s rolling stock subsidiary ...
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NewsOrange County awards streetcar design contract
USA: California’s Orange County Transportation Authority has selected HNTB Corp to design the OC Streetcar project, which is intended to provide easy ‘last mile’ connections from Metrolink trains and buses to employment, retail and recreational areas. The line would run 6·6 km from Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center through ...
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NewsNewag to build TSI-compliant multi-system freight loco
POLAND: The National Centre for Research & Development has awarded Newag a 10·9m złoty grant to support the development of what the company says would be Europe’s first TSI-compliant six-axle multi-system electric freight locomotive. This programme is expected to cost a total of 27·2m złoty. Announcing the grant on September ...
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NewsICx test running begins
GERMANY: Test running of an ICx trainset on the public rail network began on September 25, Siemens has announced. In May 2011 Deutsche Bahn signed a framework agreement for up to 300 ICx trainsets, with an initial order for 130 to replace its locomotive-hauled inter-city fleet. Entry into service ...
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NewsFirst Kansas City Streetcar on test
USA: The first tram for the Kansas City Streetcar project has started dynamic testing at CAF’s test track in Elmira, New York. It is due to be delivered to Kansas City on October 29. Testing is then due to be carried out by the rail activation workgroup comprising the ...
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NewsAlstom to supply Panamá City Line 2 trains
PANAMA: Alstom Transport announced on September 24 that it is to supply 21 five-car Metropolis trainsets to operate Panamá City metro Line 2. A consortium led by Alstom and including TSO-CIM, Thales and Sofratesa was awarded the contract to undertake E&M work in July. The contract is worth US$128·5m ...
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NewsNorthern extension of Tehran metro Line 3 opens
IRAN: An 18 km extension of Tehran metro Line 3 opened by President Hassan Rouhani and Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on September 22, bringing the southwest-northeast route to 37 km. The new section runs northeast from Shahid Beheshti, where interchange is provided with Line 1, to Ghaem. Of the ...
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NewsEFE unveils US$7∙5bn masterplan
CHILE: Grupo EFE President Jorge Inostroza unveiled a US$7⋅5bn investment masterplan on September 23, which aims to increase traffic on the state railway from 30 million to 100 million passenger-journeys a year by 2022. ‘No predecessor of mine has ever presented a plan like this’, said Inostroza, noting that EFE ...
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NewsMaryland approves Siemens locomotive order
USA: Maryland’s Board of Public Works has approved the Department of Transportation’s planned $58·1m purchase of eight Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotives to replace electric locomotives currently used on MARC commuter services. The approval granted on September 16 enables Maryland Transit Administration to enter into a ‘cost-effective co-operative purchasing agreement’ ...
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NewsAshkelon – Be’er Sheva’ railway completed
ISRAEL: Israel Railways launched passenger services from Netivot to Be’er Sheva’ on September 19, two days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transport Minister Israel Katz joined VIPs on an inaugural train marking the completion of the through route between Ashkelon and Be’er Sheva’. There are 25 ...
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NewsStandard gauge to serve Naivasha
KENYA: The 1 435 mm gauge railway now under construction between Mombasa and Nairobi is to be extended by 120 km to serve a new economic development zone at Naivasha in the Rift Valley. An agreement to develop Phase 2A of the standard-gauge project was signed between Kenya Railways Managing ...
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NewsRail Cargo Group buys German operator
EUROPE: Austrian Federal Railways’ Rail Cargo Group announced its acquisition of German freight haulage, shunting and locomotive hire services business EBM Cargo GmbH on September 23. Founded in February 2010 and based in Gummersbach east of Köln, privately-owned EBM Cargo has an annual turnover of €5m and ‘extensive knowledge ...
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NewsBombardier to expand Wrocław factory
POLAND: Bombardier Transportation has awarded industrial property developer Panattoni Europe a contract to build a new manufacturing hall alongside the existing facilities at its Wrocław plant. Completion is scheduled for June 2016, with the new hall to be used to manufacture passenger rolling stock bodyshells for projects including Deutsche Bahn's ...